Coin operated vending machines for dispensing bulk merchandise, so-called "bulk vendors", are widely used to dispense small vendible items. The dispensing mechanism utilized in conventional bulk vendors requires that the merchandise being dispensed have a relatively uniform configuration approximating a sphere or a spheroid. Thus, merchandise such as gumballs are ideal for vending from a bulk vendor, because of their smooth spherical configuration. However, dispensing non-spherical articles such as packages of chewing gum, novelty items and the like from a bulk vendor requires that each article be individually packaged in a rigid capsule of more or less spherical or spheroidal configuration.
A typical bulk vendor of the type heretofore known is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,492, the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference. The conventional dispensing mechanism utilized in bulk vendors of this type includes means positioned above a revolving dispensing wheel, which permits the passage through a dispensing aperture of only those items carried in containers formed in the dispensing wheel while excluding other loose articles contained in the product bin. Such means conventionally comprises a housing having a notch facing opposite to the direction of revolution of the dispensing wheel. An article carried in one of the containers formed in the dispensing wheel passes through the notch as the wheel advances, and as the container comes into alignment with the dispensing aperture the article is dispensed through a delivery chute, while loose articles contained in the product bin are deflected away from the dispensing aperture by the housing. Thus, for each coin inserted the bulk vendor dispenses only the article or articles carried in a single container of the dispensing wheel.
To assist in deflecting loose articles away from the aperture, a series of resiliently flexible members, typically springs, have been used to form a resilient curtain across the entry notch in the housing. An article seated in a container will deflect the springs sufficiently to enable passage of the article through the entry notch to the interior of the housing, permitting access to the dispensing aperture, while other loose articles contained in the product bin cannot deflect the springs sufficiently to enter the housing and are thus deflected over the exterior of the housing and remain in the product bin.
The main disadvantage to such conventional bulk vendors is that they are useful only for dispensing articles comprising a rigid capsule. Soft capsules carried on top of the dispensing wheel, entrained in the flow of product outside of the containers, tend to deform as the springs are deflected, and partially enter the entry notch along with an article carried in the container. Because the soft capsule is flexible, rather than being deflected over the housing as the dispensing wheel revolves the article is forced into the notch. This deflects the springs toward the inside of the housing, forming a "V"-shaped entry passage which converges in the direction of revolution of the dispensing wheel. As the wheel advances, the loose article becomes wedged against the dispensing wheel, crushing the capsule of both the article carried in the container and the loose article carried on top of the dispensing wheel. The soft capsule is easily deformed and collapsed in the notch, blocking the entry to the housing, and eventually jams the vendor. Since the dispensing wheel revolves in only one direction, the crushed article can only be removed by maintenance personnel, until which time the vendor remains out of service. The merchandise contained in the capsule can be mutilated beyond salvage in the process.
The rigid capsule typically used to package non-spherical vendible articles is formed in two portions. The article is deposited into the receptacle portion and the closure portion is then manually attached. The thickness of plastic required to maintain rigidity in the capsule, and the need to manually seal the portions of the capsule together, give rise to considerable expense in the production of vendible articles. This increases the cost of each article dispensed from the vendor. Moreover, since the purchaser's interest is in the article within the capsule, the capsule itself is generally discarded after purchase, which results in considerable wastage of non-biodegradable materials.
It is accordingly extremely advantageous to be able to dispense from a bulk vendor non-spherical merchandise packaged in a soft plastic capsule. A typical soft capsule is composed of polystyrene and has a vacuum formed receptacle portion into which the merchandise is deposited. The capsule is sealed by heat sealing a plastic or metal foil closure portion onto the filled receptacle portion. The entire packaging process can thus be effected by machine, and the capsule itself is recyclable and utilizes considerably less plastic than the rigid capsules required by conventional bulk vendors. Overall the cost of packaging merchandise in the soft capsule can be one-third or less of the cost of packaging in a rigid capsule.
The present invention overcomes this disadvantage by providing a bulk vendor capable of dispensing merchandise contained in a soft capsule. This is accomplished by replacing the resilient flexible members forming a deflecting curtain over the entry notch with a resilient rolling member. The rolling member extends across the entry notch and rotates in opposition to the revolution of the dispensing wheel, preferably at a speed slightly greater than that of the dispensing wheel.
An article carried in the container of the dispensing wheel will pass underneath the rolling member with minimal deflection thereof. However, loose articles contained in the product bin, when urged toward the entry notch by the advancing dispensing wheel, are frictionally engaged by the rolling member and ejected over the top of the housing. By employing a resilient rolling member which rotates in opposition to the dispensing wheel, and thus actively ejecting loose articles away from the vicinity of the entry notch (rather than using resilient members which merely passively deflect articles away from the notch) the bulk vendor embodying this improvement is able to dispense merchandise in a soft capsule without jamming or deforming the capsule. The bulk vendor embodying this improvement is thus able to vend merchandise at a substantially lower cost than conventional bulk vendors, and results in considerably less wastage when the capsule is discarded by the purchaser.